Wichita eagle., 1887-07-17
ESPANOLA, N. M.

/ G01 0ANO41as Ave- LIZ
JUNE 26, 1887.
We left Glorieta June II, for Santa Fe
it is but little over twenty miles but is
hard days march, for it is over mountain
all day and the trail for at least one-hal
the distance was through the dry bed O.
the mountain rivers and it is a very loose
coarse gravel, and but very little watel
to be found but we made the trip in goo(
time ourselves and burrors pretty tired
We put the burrors in the stable and our
selves in the Palace hotel. The accomo
dations are good walters and all connected
are very polite, everything first class, al
for So, 90 per day. We had arrived a,
Santa Fe, undoubtedly the Oldest city in
the United States, they have the papers to
show that when St. Augustine, jamestown
and Plyouth were settle Santa Fe was an
old city. l have always had desire to see
the place, but to describe it is a difficult
task If the whole town was rooted over
it would be vast curiosity shop; it is an
old Mexican town in every respect. The
old part of the town has narrow, crooked
streets about twenty-five feet wide, with the
Mexican adobe houses on both sides of the
streets. Some of them are very old. One
is pointed out as being over 800 yuars old
1 had no reason to doubt it
when the Mexicans began to build the
town they made the streets parallel to the
river, so that everything looks gloomy,
with nothing but adobes to look at in every
direction. There is a square plaza, as it is
called, in the center of the city. 1t used to
be used for keeping burros in and feeding
them, but after Gen. Kearney, in 1916.
took possession the first thing he did was
to erect flag staff 100 feet high and hang
out the stars and stripes Since then it has
been fenced, trees set out, fountain and
soldiers monument erected and a good
coat of alfalfa is growing. Seats are pro-
vided and good ampitheatre for musical
entertainments. The military band that is
stationed there gives free concert every
other night, and at that time one can see
the Americans, Mexicans, negroes and In
dians in all their pomp and glory; the
Americans, of course, can outdress all the
rest, but the Mexican women, although
dressed in cheap style, are as neat ap-
pearing and better looking than the Ameri-
cans. The Indians have style of their
own, which consists of great variety OF
colors and but a very little clothing. l
thing the plaza, as it was on Sunday while
we were there, the greatest place l ever
saw.
The new or American part of the town
has wider streets and American houses, but
like some of the additions that have been
made to Wichita, the streets do not match.
There is some business done there, but In
a very quiet way No one hurries Or frets,
but all seem to do their utmost to keep
quiet. Eight o'clock is early breakfast
time. l should think the principal part of
the people drank beer, and about the mid
die of the afternoon the ssloons are in full
blast and keep it up through the night, but
every one is coed natured-no rows or
street troubles. | did not see but one pc.
liceman. There are few Jews that have
the inside of certain kinds of business, and
no one seems to be in it but Jews, and they
have all the curiosity shops in the place.
In these shops can be found all kinds OF
Mexican curiosities. Mr.. Gold shop is an
adobe building, one story high. On the
top of the building he has an old Mexican
cart with enormous wheels. There arr
some Mexican plows and other tools In
side the store he has blankets OF all kinds
Mexican. of the finest colors and patterns
Navajo blankets made by the Navajo In
dian women by hand, the best blanke
made in the country. He has native jewelry
that is, jewelry made by Mexlcans from
Mexican material such as moss agate
smoky topaz or volcanic glass. Turquoi
and other valuable stones made into goot
many ornaments; thsn he has paintings and
images of saints and sinners; there Is |
great amount of image worship carried Oh
there by Mexicans and Indians; on SUNDAY
while we were there we found there was 4
be a procession; not caring anything abou
what II was, we followed u crowd ana
found they had gone Over 70 IN old churci
On the south side, h witch they keel